Theme and summary worksheets
Aligned with Common Core RL.4.2
Printable fourth-grade theme and summary worksheets: a theme and summary chart, topic or theme, finding the theme, a theme detective organizer, Somebody Wanted But So Then, picking the best summary, important or extra details, and writing a summary.
The worksheets
- See it all
Theme and Summary Chart
What a theme is, with a topic and theme side by side, three questions for finding the theme, and the Somebody Wanted But So Then frame for a summary with an example.
Topic or Theme
Topics like "patience" and themes like "Good things can come to those who wait" mixed together, to mark topic or theme. Fewer, Standard or More give 8, 10 or 12. Includes an answer key.
Find the Theme
Eight short stories, each with three theme choices to circle and lines to write a detail that shows the theme. The answer key circles the theme and gives a sample detail.
Theme Detective
One of the eight stories with four boxes to fill in: what the character wanted, what went wrong, what they learned or did, and the theme. The answer key shows sample answers.
Somebody Wanted But So Then
One of the eight stories with the Somebody Wanted But So Then frame and space to write a one-sentence summary. The answer key shows sample answers.
Pick the Best Summary
One of the eight stories with three summaries to label: one just right, one with too many details and one that leaves out the ending. Includes an answer key.
Important or Extra
One of the eight stories with six details to sort into important ones for a summary and extra ones. Includes an answer key.
Write a Summary
Five nonfiction passages, about honeybees, glaciers, the Pony Express, octopuses and bats, with a checklist and lines to write a 2 or 3 sentence summary. The answer key shows a sample summary.
Print the whole packet
One copy of every sheet above, in order. Tap + for more copies (up to 10).
For the parent or teacher
What it is
A theme is the message or lesson about life that a story shows, like "Taking small steps can help you face something scary." Stories rarely state the theme, so readers figure it out from what the characters do and learn. A summary retells the most important parts of a story or passage in a few sentences, in the reader's own words.
What comes next
The 3rd grade Main idea, cause and effect topic covers finding the main idea of a passage, if your student needs a refresher.
How to teach it
- Teach in order or jump to whatever your student needs. A student may summarize well and still be building their skill with theme.
- Separate topic from theme. A topic is a word, like friendship; a theme is a sentence about life.
- To find a theme, ask what the main character learns and how they change by the end.
- For a summary, tell who the story is about, the problem and how it ends.
- Practice leaving out small details. Ask whether the story would make sense without them.
Common mistakes
- Giving a topic, like "courage," instead of a theme sentence.
- Choosing a theme that fits only one small part of the story.
- Retelling every event in a summary instead of the most important ones.
- Leaving the ending out of a summary, or adding opinions like "It was a great story."